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Saturday, 31 March 2012

I love crisps and when a brand decide to make them more healthy, I am dubious, a few of my favourites have just not retained the taste they had before.

So when Kettle asked me to try the new Baked Crisps, I did wonder if they would taste as fab as the Kettle Chips I love.

I have a couple of what I consider treat bags of crisps and Kettles are amongst them.

Eating lower fat and calorie snacks is always going to have a draw for me, the weight I have lost, is important to me to maintain not just for the 6 months so far, but for life. I still want a treat now and then, so I had high hopes.

So I set up my lunch and tried them, I love them, the crisps are thick, brilliantly crunchy, they taste as you want a crisp to taste. The seasoning is perfect, I particularly loved the Sea Salted flavour, I had a job not to add more to my lunch.The crushed black pepper gave a lovely spicy touch to the other new recipe, great on their own.

So a Kettles have launched two great packets of crisps and they are healthy. Yay it will be a great summer snack for picnics without feeling naughty!

Why compromise on taste just because you want to consume less calories? We are all used to settling for second best when it comes to low calorie food but now the makers of delicious KETTLE® Chips have launched KETTLE® Baked Crisps, which contain fewer than 90 calories and less than 10% fat per 20g serving.

They are available in two varieties - ‘Sea Salted’ and ‘Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper’. In keeping with the KETTLE® ethos, Baked Crisps are made simply by slicing select potatoes, then baking them for a lighter, crispier texture, before seasoning. They have absolutely no hidden nasties such as added MSG, artificial colours or flavours.

KETTLE® Chef, Chris Barnard comments “Watching what we eat is something we all do from time to time, but it shouldn’t be about punishment. Baked not fried means our new Baked Crisps are the perfect new snack for anyone who wants to keep an eye on their waistline, but doesn’t want to compromise on taste”.

A healthier way to enjoy sharing crisps, KETTLE® Baked Crisps are perfect for a night in with a DVD, catching up with friends over a glass of wine, or as a snack just for you to enjoy any time of the day with less guilt. There’s no longer any need to compromise on taste when choosing the lower fat option.

The new KETTLE® Baked Crisps will be launched exclusively in Waitrose from 26th March 2012, priced £1.69 per 80g bag.

Friday, 30 March 2012

....If I told you that cats and dogs catch fleas – you would not be surprised........If I told you that FleaClear uses Fipronil, the same active ingredient as Frontline, but costs a fraction of the price – you would be surprised....

I have no hesitation recommending Bob Martin products, I use the Spot On on Alfie and I have not seen a flea ever. I just add the date to the calendar and apply every eight weeks.

Its no fuss to do, and as Bob Martins have pointed out as effective as the dearer Frontline.

I cannot afford for Alfie to get fleas. Never mind the bites and irritation to him, I have a terrible reaction to a bite, in the past my last dog and I would suffer terribly. She would be off to the vet as she suffered an allergy to the nasty little critters and my legs would be swollen and look terrible.

An effective product that keeps Alfie and I happy and protected.

Here are five more surprising facts about FleaClear:

You don’t need to go to a vets or pharmacy to buy FleaClear

It is available at all major supermarkets and pet retailers

A single treatment costs as little as £4.50

Fleas will stay away for up to 5 weeks for cats and 8 weeks for dogs

If used regularly pets can remain FleaClear all year

Here are five surprising flea facts:

Two-thirds of pet owners have used a flea treatment in the past two years*

The flea most commonly found on catsand dogs is the Ctenocephalides felis(cat flea)

A flea will live for 2-4 weeks in adult stage when it is feeding (on pets)

Females lay approximately 40 eggs per day

63 species of flea are found in the UK. About 10 of those could be found in homes

FleaClear, launched by pet healthcare specialist, Bob Martin, is as safe and effective as products available from Vets or Pharmacies and can be easily purchased as part of the weekly shop at major supermarkets and pet stores.

For more information or to view the full range of dog and cat products please visitwww.bobmartin.co.uk.

Thursday, 29 March 2012

I am quite excited by this giveaway, one because its for Bazooka Candy and secondly because it will be a fast giveaway, you will need a twitter account. This will just be until 5pm on Friday evening, so miss it miss sweets.

Plus you get a heads up on the usual #tweetforsweets that will be running as always tomorrow between 10am and 5pm.

Now I hand over to Bazooka Candy to dish up the goodies!!

It’s an exciting day for @bazookacandy as we’re linking up with the lovely Jo to give away a goody bag of our scrummy candy to one of her readers.. AKA you!

"Every Friday over on @bazookacandy we run #tweetforsweets, giving away a bundle of treats – and this week we’re asking a few of our favourite bloggers to join in.

To win, just follow @bazookacandy and tweet your message being sure to hashtag #tweetforsweets via the rafflecopter below, and Jo will draw one of you to win. But don’t hang around, because the competition closes at5pm...So we can let the winners know before the weekend and make sure it’s a Friday evening that’s sweeter than ever."

I am going to make it very easy to tweet as the Rafflecopter has been fired up for the occasion.

So all you need to do is follow @Bazookacandy and tweet the phrase in the form. All done for you by the rafflecopter.

Remember to say hi and leave your Twitter name in the comments below, thats just so I can see how its going here.

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

At the risk of putting a dampener on your sunny days, I am going to be dealing with the cold, not cold weather I hasten to add, before I get strung up

But the common cold, sniffles, coughing and genrally feeling under the weather. I have spoken to friends and twitter friends this week who are all suffering with a bug or the start of hayfever, feel so much worse in the sunshine I think.

Don't worry I have a little sweetener to entice you, this comes from the nice people at Jakemans who have offered my readers prizes, there see, knew that would make you linger longer hopefully than the sniffles!

Jakemans have put together a lovely Q and A about why Menthol (the main ingredient in their sweets) works well to cure all these spring sniffles. Have a read then see below for the chance to win a jar of Jakemans Blackcurrant Menthol Sweets

Steve Pearce is a Biochemist,a Chartered Scientist and former president of The British Society of Flavourists. He is an expert in flavours, aromas and fragrances. Steve has been working with Jakemans traditional menthol confectionary to explore the science of Mentholology and menthol’s effect upon the senses, body and mind.Steve is known for recreating the smell of space, the smell of Cleopatra’s hair and features in the BBC 2 food science series ‘E numbers – An Edible Adventure.’

When was menthol first used?

The properties of peppermint oil and consequently menthol are believed to have been recognised for some time with reports of use in Japan about 2,000 years ago, although first recorded use in Europe only occurs around 1771.

How is menthol made?

Menthol can be produced naturally from mint but can also be synthetically produced, most commonly from citronella oil. When produced naturally fresh mint is air-dried to create mint oil which is filtered to remove any solid particles and impurities.

The mint oil then cooled to -40°c to cause the menthol in the oil to form flakes and separate from it. The solid flakes are then collected and heated to 50°c which creates a liquid solution of menthol which is then cooled to room temperature resulting in crystallisation.

Once crystallation is complete it is poured into decanting trays where the large clumps of crystals are broken down and form smaller crystals, fine needles and powder.

How much menthol is made?The current annual world production is estimated to be in excess of 32,000 metric tons. Why is Menthol so good at easing coughs and sore throats?

Menthol is unique for the cooling sensations it imparts to the skin, stuffy noses and sore throats. It works very cleverly to create a cooling sensation which numbs nerve sensations creating the soothing effect found in Jakemans menthol confectionary. The science that generates this effect is a result of the molecule interacting with specific receptor sites in cell membranes

Menthol has powerful anti-bacterial properties so can naturally kill off micro-organisms that may lead to a throat infection

What else is menthol used for?

Menthol is included in many products for a variety of reasons. Here is a list of just a fraction of them:

Lip balms

Products to reduce itching

Gels and creams that reduce minor aches and pains like muscle cramps, sprains and headaches

In sunburn treatments

In toothpastes and mouthwash products as well as chewing gum

As a pesticide to protect bees against mites

By perfumers to enhance floral notes like rose

In treatments for indigestion

In first aid products to produce a cooling affect in place of ice

and of course menthol is a very important ingredient in Jakemans!

Jakemans range of traditional cough and throat sweets is available in six flavours, Throat & Chest, Honey & Lemon Menthol, Cherry Menthol, Menthol & Eucalyptus, Blueberry Menthol and the NEW Blackcurrant Menthol. Jakemans are available from a number of retailers including major supermarkets (Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Tesco), key health retailers (Boots, Superdrug) the conveniencesector and many independent stores.For more information, please visitwww.jakemans.com.

Now for the giveaway, Jakemans are giving away one jar of Blackcurrant Menthol Sweets (approx 2.75kg) and a pack of Blackcurrant Menthol Sweets for two runners-up.

Just fill in the rafflecopter, if you don't see it try refreshing the page, more details below. Lots of bonus entries as usual.

Gordon says: “I’ve a passion for grilling foods, so my Health Infusion Grill combines a unique set of features to guarantee food that is flavoursome, healthy and quick to prepare!”

It was a great chance to try steak and the great feature is the floating hinge so when I cooked large pork chops it was no problem. it has a variable control so I could sear the meat first then I was able to turn down the heat.

The drip tray is large enough for the oil, I did find I emptied it half way through each time, more for my own worries of hot fat and interested puppy as it probably would have coped.

When it comes to the infusion part of the grill, this makes the grill a bit more special, its a channel running across the centre of the bottom plate hard to spot on the photo. This is where you can experiment with flavours for your meat or veggies, suggestions in the book are garlic cloves and your favourite herbs in olive oil. Or just herb leaves which dry out and then infuse into the meat or vegetables.

I gave it a go with coriander and grilled peppers, maybe not an obvious choice, but as my favourite herb, I loved it.

A nice dish is sweet chilli and coconut chicken marinated for afew hours and despite usually baking a sticky chicken in the oven, a grill is healthier. It cleaned up well after, just needed extra soapy water.

Another nice meal was soy sauce added to the infusion channel for pork chops, I just placed the meat over the channel and cooked.

It definitely added the soy sauce flavour to the food. I want to try coconut milk in the channel with maybe a Thai spice coated chicken.

There is a handy scraper supplied for use during cooking and I used it to scrape the plates. I would like the plates to be removable to wash but I found they were easy to clean with my non stick scourer.

I love this grill, it seems to remove much more fat than if I cooked steak in a frying pan, I am not alone in giving it a high rating.

There are some great features to ensure great results every time, including: double curved grilling plates to allow fat to quickly drain away and collect in the drip tray – their shape also makes it easier to cook food like ribs. The Health Infusion Grill also boasts a special quality non-stick Teflon coating to the grilling plates for better cooking, which are removable for easy cleaning.

Perfect for grilling an array of delicious family meals or dinner for friends, the new Gordon Ramsay Health Infusion Grill makes a great addition to any family kitchen and offers good value at £99.99.

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Bazooka Candy Brands have launched an exciting new digital project to tie in with their Mega Mouth Candy Spray product line.

They have built a fun and engaging website for kids aged 12+ and includes their parents too.

I had a look around the site and already can see its going to be a good place to while away the hours.

There are Flash games such as BMX Blast, Transformers, parents can play sudoku, when you play the Mega Mouth games you also earn credits.

The credit allows you to win exciting prizes. This month people can win a RipStik skateboard, Rawk helmet, Vans backpack, DC trainers and loads more amazing goodies. Winners are picked randomly from the top 10 in the leaderboard.

Plus there are downloadable activities to play offline. Wordsearches, Sudoku, masks to make, a reward chart for Mums and Dads to fill in to gain more credits.

Can you bottle Britishness? This was the poser New Covent Garden set for the theme to this month’s Soup of the Month competition, quirky they figured that somewhere out there was a recipe that said ‘here’s Britain, in all her glory. But in in soup form’.

Rose Garrish came up with the answer in her Vintage Cheddar and Piccalilli Soup, we got to try some before its release this April.

Now I have been repeating myself lots in these New Covent Garden features, but I happen to live just around the corner from the New Covent Garden company, I can smell the soups as they are being made, early morning I can get quite hungry. Wonder if that's why I eat lots of soup?Because of this closeness, I got the opportunity to trial April's soup before it goes onto the shelves as the lovely Sheryl brought it round to my door. Thanks NCG.We waited until Saturday lunch to try it, it looked pretty good and we spent a bit of time in the garden to work up an appetite, despite the sunny weather we still really fancied a bowl. Chris described it " If you close your eyes you are eating a cheese and piccalilli sandwich, but in a hot soup form. He is so right. The vegetables are just crunchy as in a great piccalilli too. The cauliflower is just cooked, each mouthful brings a selection of fresh vegetables. The cheese is good mature and a perfect accompaniment.I think this does indeed capture whats good about Britain and its food.

Rose said

"There's nothing nicer than popping into a warm cosy pub to enjoy a light bite. Cheese and a colourful pickle compliment each other so well. A lovely idea for a tasty British soup don't you think?"

If you can't wait until April to try Rosie's soup, then see the recipe below and try it for yourself at home. While you are trying it maybe you have a fantastic recipe of your own to share. New Covent Garden are giving members of the public the opportunity to see their recipes on the supermarket shelves this year.

Cooking instructions

Heat oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic, cook gently over a medium heat. Add the turmeric, mustard and cook for 2 minutes, Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes stirring all the time. Add the hot stock. Add the vegetables,chilli, sugar, vinegar and cook until the vegetables are al dente. Finally stir in the grated cheese and allow to melt. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with plenty of parsley and plenty of crusty breadhttp://www.newcoventgardensoup.com/

Did you know the average family of four sheds up to 3lbs of skin per year? Or that your carpet can hold up to 2lbs of dirt per square foot? Surprisingly, despite these shocking facts over 80 per cent of homeowners have never washed their carpets!

As well as this, 45 per cent of homeowners don’t remove their shoes before walking on their carpets and worryingly, four out of ten people eat food which has been dropped on the floor.

With a rise in a hectic lifestyle and the onset of the economic downturn, the traditional Spring Clean is no longer a top priority which is why many of us rarely spend time or money deep cleaning our carpets.

Which is why Rug Doctor, the carpet cleaning experts have come up with some top tips for spring cleaning that won’t burden your finances or your time!

Take it one room at a time

Make sure you plan ahead and choose where to begin, make a list of the areas you want to target and tackle them one step at a time. Be sure to budget time for distractions too-unexpected visitors and phone calls are inevitable!

Declutter before your clean

Always declutter before a polish, make sure your area is good to go before you don your gloves and spray.

Deep clean those carpets

Nothing refreshes a room more than a clean carpet, and hiring a Rug Doctor can have your carpets looking, feeling and smelling as good as new in no time.

Make your vases blooming lovely

What better way to freshen up your home than with a bunch of sweet-smelling blooms. Handpick some flowers from your garden for a sweet smelling aroma.

Add a splash of vinegar to make those windows shine

A top tip for making those windows squeaky clean is to add some vinegar to water and spray onto the glass, then simply wipe clean with a dust free cloth.

Care for your curtains

Are your curtains looking drab? Well take them down, remove the hooks and give them a quick cycle in the dryer with a wet towel to rid the dust.

Revamp your wardrobe

Empty your wardrobe of all your clothes and give it a good scrub, you never know you might find a couple of items you’d forgotten about too.

Open the windows for fresh air

Winter is over so open up those windows and let the good fresh air billow through your home.

Start from the top and work your way down

With each room start at the ceiling and get rid of the cobwebs before working your way down walls and finishing with the floor.

10. Get the kids to lend a hand

Share the workload with your loved ones, even the most unwilling helper can make a big difference in the work load.

A strange occurrence took place in our house when trying these new bars from Rocky. We all changed place on what we first thought they would be like. Paige and Conor love cola and Rocky have been a constant for pack ups and picnics, based on the fact there will always be one lurking in the fridge calling to me.

I am not a cola lover, I drink it on rare occasions when extremeley thirsty, it has to be ice cold and from a newly opened bottle so its at its fizziest.(I know fussy!) Chris never drinks it.

So I was kind of hoping the younger members would review these and I would have an obligatory nibble.

Paige wasn't keen, I was quite surprised to hear it, not sure why, she just said she did not like the taste.

With that weird compulsion to try something somebody says is not so good, I had to try one.

As I unwrapped it I could detect a cola fragrance, it was not unpleasant, so I took a bite.

I can taste lime I'm sure, if I was not told what this bar was flavoured with, I would describe it as those delicious bright green chocolate limes, which happen to be a favourite, all things citrus, I'm there.

The chocolate is good and the cola flavour I can smell, but I detect lime. Chris tried one without knowing what they were and as he nibbled he was trying to describe what he tasted. After a bit, I said Chocolate Limes? (Sorry to Rocky bars) and he said "Yes, thats it, its gorgeous!" So then I said its cola really and he said "How strange I taste lime, but now you mention it I can smell cola!"

I will be buying them again. They are lovely.

Rocky is the biscuit for the ‘get up and go generation’, People who aim to push boundaries and fill their lives with as much enjoyment as they can. This year, thrill seeking biscuit fans everywhere will be able to experience Rocky on a whole new level, thanks to the brand new limited edition Rocky Fizzy Cola bar.

Forget classic combinations like strawberries and cream and rhubarb and custard, in 2012 there’s a new flavour combination in town – chocolate and cola! This new bar has all the punch and chocolate crunch of the Rocky that we all know and love, but with the additional treat of sweet, tongue-tingling Cola. Rocky Fizzy Cola is bound to be the ultimate biscuit for all the daredevils out there!

The new limited edition, individually wrapped bar is perfect for an exciting day out, a tasty snack on the go, or as an extra special surprise in a school lunchbox.

The launch of Rocky Fizzy Cola will mean that the world of biscuits never be the same again! Let the adventure begin by picking up your own Rocky Fizzy Cola at supermarkets nationwide for an RRP of £1.59.

I had a great time making food that could be sticky, make pans greasy, all that and me as usual getting in mess anyway.

As I said in one of the posts, I only have to look at a bag of flour for it to explode all over, I always have to clean my cooker, even when making the simplest of dishes.

Cillit Bang All In One helped clean up and rather well. I was particularly impressed with the stove top results. I would normally have used a separate cleaning product from the one I washed the dishes in. It easily dealt with dried on mustard sauce, and grease spatters from sausages. Plus gave a good shine to the surface.

Cillit Bang have kindly offered five of you a chance to try it for yourself.

Just click on the handy Rafflecopter form and enter, lots of bonus entries too. See below the formif you are having problems. Refreshing the page is sometimes all thats needed.

Paige and Conor were very happy to see the Bear Yo Yo's, the Pure Fruit Rolls were a favourite in packed lunches and for snacks. I bought them for the five a day benefits, its an easier option than blackening bananas and fruit that was often left. We received a strawberry Yo Yo and the two newest additions to the Bear range.

My two have always loved their fruit and veg, the Yo Yo's just made eating one of them like a sweet treat. They are still bought for packed lunches and snacking.

Aftertrying the new Pineapple and Apple, I can say the pineapple is absolutely gorgeous, its a fruit I eat lots of and the flavour of the Yo Yo is exactly as you expect it to taste. Paige tried the apple and said its like a red apple flavour, really juicy.

With Brits ranked near the bottom of the table when it comes to eating fruit and vegetables in a recent review of eating habits across the EU*, Fruit Yo Yo’s from BEAR are an easy and tasty option for all the family in helping them get their five-a-day.

New Apple and Pineapple BEAR Yo Yo’s are dried fruit rolls made from 100% pure fruit – nothing but baked nature with absolutely no added sugar, preservatives or stabilisers. BEAR snarls at sulphites and growls at gumming agents, so parents can rest assured that they are giving their little ones a treat that is not only a healthy alternative but tastes grrrrreat too!

Each BEAR Yo Yo contains 27 calories, is fat free and packed full of filling fibre, making it perfect for a kid’s lunchbox or as a snack for growling tums everywhere!

Also, tucked away in each pack BEAR Yo Yo’s is an ‘animal families’ nature fact card which will undoubtedly get kids excited about the grrrrreat outdoors. With 75 fact cards to collect – what are you waiting for?

BEAR Yo Yo’s are now available from most major supermarkets in six flavours: new apple and pineapple, plus raspberry, peach, blueberry and strawberry.

I am so glad that chocolate lovers who cannot often eat it because of an intolerance to sugar, dairy can tuck in this Easter. Holland and Barrett have a really good range to choose form, the one that caught my eye is the new white chocolate.

I was sent some to try and am seriously taken aback again from what I used to term free from taste foods. The chocolate is creamy sweet and kids will adore it.

I now look forward to trying foods for food intolerances. Holland Barrett have not suprisingly won awards with some of these eggs.

Have an egg-ceedingly good Easter with sugar-free chocolate eggs

With Easter just around the corner, it can be hard to resist seasonal chocolate treats if you have a sweet tooth.

This Easter you can indulge in Holland and Barrett’s guilt free Easter treats with a sugar free Easter Egg as part of their 'free from' range.

Providing treats for people with special dietary needs including those with allergens or intolerance's to dairy, gluten, wheat and egg, the leading health food retailer has also ensured that individuals with a preference for chocolate with a Low GI are also catered for.

Suitable for vegetarians, the tasty range of eggs includes a creamy sugar free milk chocolate egg and a gluten, wheat and dairy free dark chocolate egg.

Not forgetting the Easter bunny's biggest fans, kids can also tuck into delicious alternatives to milk, and now white (new for 2012), chocolate eggs, which are free from dairy, wheat, gluten and egg!

If you are looking for a sugar free alternative to your usual Easter treat, you can indulge in this new milk chocolate egg and save on calories. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, this sugar free milk chocolate egg doesn’t lose its rich creamy flavour or smooth texture substituting sugar content for a reduced calorie sweetener.

If your little ones usually have to be cautious about which tasty treats they enjoy, you can now have peace of mind as they tuck in to Holland and Barrett’s Dairy Free alternatives to Milk and White chocolate eggs!

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, the Milk Chocolate alternative

is made from cocoa beans, sugar and non dairy ingredients, a cocoa based alternative to conventional chocolate which offers a delicious option for children with allergies or

New for 2012 and priced at a purse friendly £3.49, the white chocolate egg also contains white chocolate buttons, which will encourage your little ‘uns to get involved in the egg hunt this year!

It’s amazing taste has seen it shortlisted for the Freefrom Food Awards 2012 and unbelievably it is dairy, gluten, wheat and egg free and also suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Holland and Barrett’s Nutritionist, Kate Butler, says; “Most people think of Easter as an unhealthy time of year, but by providing our customers with chocolate that is free from sugar, wheat and dairy, it means we can offer them a healthier alternative to their usual

Easter treats.

“As the high street’s only dedicated dietary specialists, we encourage customers to come in and discuss their needs with our trained staff, as we have something suitable for everyone.”

Containing no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and priced from just £3.49 each, these free from Easter Eggs will be available in Holland and Barrett stores nationwide.